The romantic story of a 16-year-old drowned girl from Paris (9 photos)

The CPR training dummy is familiar to tens of thousands of medical students and rescuers. However, few know whose face was once used to create it. Yet, the story is quite romantic: it is the story of how a long-dead girl became a savior for thousands.





"The Stranger of the Seine" is an unknown drowned woman whose body was found in the Seine in the 19th century. Unknown in life, she unexpectedly rose to fame after her death: a plaster cast of her face, made for identification, unexpectedly captivated artists with its beauty and serenity.



Despite all efforts, little could be learned about the girl. Judging by the lack of signs of violence, she committed suicide. According to pathologists, she was no more than 16 years old. However, this unknown beauty became a favorite heroine of artists of the decadent era.





The mask of the "Stranger of the Seine" was a favorite souvenir among Parisians at the end of the 19th century, who used it to decorate their apartments. Albert Camus compared her peaceful smile to that of the Mona Lisa.



The "Stranger of the Seine" became the subject of many paintings and novels, whose authors attempted to unravel the mystery of her identity and fate. She even influenced Parisian fashion: many Parisians tried to make their faces resemble hers.



In the mid-20th century, the girl's fame flared up again. When Peter Safar and Åsmund Lerdal created the first CPR mannequin in the late 1950s, they used the face of the "Stranger from the Seine."



Subsequently, this face became the standard for all mannequins produced, dubbed "Resurrection Anna." She became known as "the most kissed woman in the world."



And now the "stranger from the Seine" remains the face of resuscitation training dummies.



A long-dead girl continues to save lives.



Her fate has found fulfillment and meaning not only on the pages of novels, but also in real life.